When you feel like quitting, remember why you started. 

I know not everyone is a motivational quote person, but I think even the most anti-quote individual out there can agree the message behind this quote is pretty solid. When things seem tough, and your instincts are telling you to simply throw in the towel, it can be extremely beneficial to take a step back and think about what got you going in the first place. Nothing is more motivational than your intentions. Sometimes, all you need is a reminder of them. Pure and simple.

Today I am presenting to you a collection of ‘why I started blogging’ stories from a variety of lovely bloggers who were kind enough to share them. I am a firm believer in drawing inspiration from other people. Hopefully these stories can serve as inspiration to you if you’re feeling lost or stuck.

Before I get into this, I would like to thank all the bloggers who contributed to this post by sharing their blogging stories with me. I really appreciate it, and it was a lot of fun getting to hear about your blogging journeys 🙂

MELIS LIVING

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BLOG?

I knew for a long time that I wanted to spend some time living abroad. I first thought about it properly at university but I soon dismissed this idea when I got my dream graduate job before I finished my final year. Then I qualified as chartered accountant, had a couple of career moves and got to a pretty decent level where I tried to save as much of my wages as I could. Also during this time I bought a little flat in Newcastle, UK and I thought I was fairly settled. However, there was still this niggling thought in the back of my mind…

What if there is more out there? What if I could be happier living somewhere else? What if I get older and become one of the people who say to me ‘I wish I’d lived abroad when I was younger’?

In 2017 I was plodding along, working loads of unpaid overtime and not really enjoying life to its fullest. I was sick of being down in the dumps every morning getting up for work and decided it was time to quit the finance path and just do something else! It was quite a quick snowball of events and I decided, with my partner, to move to Singapore and start my blog in the process. I had always read blogs but never thought of doing my own until friends kept telling me how much they admired my decision to move away and how it could inspire others to follow their own dreams. That’s when Melis Living was born. I created my blog to show the travel and lifestyle opportunities that are out there and encourage other people, whatever their age, to get out of their comfort zone and try something different. I am back in the UK now, by choice, feeling like a totally different person. I can’t wait to continue my blog, including more UK lifestyle posts but always with the theme of truly living your life to the fullest and trying not to let those dreams remain unfulfilled!

DIARY OF A SINGLE WORKING MOM

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BLOG?

I lost my first baby at 27. The resultant anguish was mind numbing. I then had a baby Gabbie that I love to bits. Three years ago, I had another baby Grace and after her, the real feel of single motherhood began. From the financial to social aspects, the time and physical energy required, name it. She was very sickly so I was stressed, fatigued, alone, abandoned and desperate.

This is the typical life of the average single mother. Every faculty hinges on us. We need four heads and twelve arms.

I am lucky to be educated and have a career. Many don’t, so I thought that through my writing, I would let them know that they are not alone. This is to also caution the young and excited youths to go easy on their motherhood ambitions as it is not all rosy.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BLOG?

I was inspired to write my blog after writing a business blog. It allowed me to rediscover my passion for writing that I always had as a youngster. I felt inspired to start a lifestyle blog and I’ve never looked back. I now have two of my own blogs and write for a third. I absolutely love blogging and I’m so pleased I accidentally found my passion for it!

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BLOG?

MY BELLYFUL

I first started blogging way back in 2010 when a friend of mine set me up a Tumblr blog as part of a writing-themed Christmas present. I kept it going for a few months, posting the odd piece of writing here and there, but a lack of understanding as to how blogging worked meant that eventually I got bored and stopped posting. Then, towards the end of 2014, inspired by a handful of great blogs I was reading at the time (and with a big push from my husband), I decided to join WordPress and start blogging again. I’ve always lobed art and literature so at first those topics became the focus for my new blog, but at the beginning of this year I decided to start including more life-oriented content as well. I really love blogging now and feel continually inspired by the things that go on around me and by the supportive blogging community.